After most people had left Albert Park the Sunday before last, most were probably thinking: "Huh. Decent job F1. Okay not the most scintillating race, but decent number of finishers, not too much chaos. Promising." But then it was a case of a big Australian "Oh crikey".

The five hours and 22 minutes that elapsed between the end of the race and Daniel Ricciardo’s exclusion, for exceeding the fuel flow rate of 100kg/hour, was not only a pain for the local hacks trying to get their editions rearranged at one o’clock in the morning ("Grand Farce" was one of the headlines the next day), but it left the Australian fans feeling a bit cheated.

The point for Malaysia is: how is a similar situation going to be avoided?

The makers of the sensors were publicly forced to defend themselves this week, and to Red Bull’s annoyance, Mercedes and Ferrari put the boot in as they sided with the FIA.

Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner has also warned: "Hopefully we will have a sensor that works and works in line with the fuel rail and there isn't this discrepancy.”

Don’t expect this argument to die down anytime soon. The appeal against the Melbourne result isn’t until April 14, for a start.

Bring the noise (or lack of it)

The Formula One paddock is probably not all that familiar with Public Enemy, and after one race it hasn’t had the chance to become too familiar with the sport’s new soundtrack either. But that hasn’t stopped all sorts of mudslinging in the interim.

Threats to sue, as well as the labelling of the engine sound as “horrific” and a “disgrace”, have dominated discussion of the new hybrids in the media at least since Melbourne. The comparatively media shy FIA President Jean Todt has unfortunately been no match for Bernie Ecclestone so far.

Malaysia should give us another insight into the state of the engine note (which I have defended to a certain degree here.)

Unlike Melbourne, there are two very long straights, and the whole arena is much more open, which means the sound could get lost among the (handful of) spectators in the stands.

<noframe>Twitter: Sally - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/danielt_johnson" target="_blank">@danielt_johnson</a> Was at Jerez test &amp; found it much more pleasant watching without earplugs. Far more immersive experience. V6 thumbs up!</noframe>

<noframe>Twitter: UO13F1 - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/danielt_johnson" target="_blank">@danielt_johnson</a> it's a small but vocal minority that doesn't like change. But FOM should do a better job of showing what's going on (1/2)</noframe>

<noframe>Twitter: James Long - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/danielt_johnson" target="_blank">@danielt_johnson</a> I think the lack of noise is a big issue. It is part of F1 and always has been. Surely the exhausts can be tweaked?</noframe>

There is little point denying that Mercedes were the class of the field in Melbourne. Even though Lewis Hamilton retired with engine trouble, Nico Rosberg won the race comfortably and looked as if he could have eked out the gap even further.

The team have tried to stress that their advantage has been overplayed, but Rosberg’s initial reaction after the race was telling, as he lauded his “dominant” car: “I always dreamed of having such a strong Silver Arrow and now it seems we are there. In the race, everything went perfectly for me.”

Even if Ron Dennis’s bold claim that McLaren will gain 0.5 seconds a lap in Malaysia this weekend comes true, that still leaves them shy of the Mercedes works team.

But let’s not forget – in 1998 McLaren came to Melbourne and lapped the entire field, but it was not long before Ferrari caught up.

Although it must be said, at this stage given the dominance of the Mercedes power unit, McLaren, Williams, and then possibly Red Bull look most likely to catch up.

The young guns

While Ricciardo’s eventual disqualification somewhat stole the post-race headlines, Melbourne was significant in that it potentially ushered in a new generation of drivers fans will be hearing much about.

As Hamilton and Vettel left the stage early with reliability woes, it was left to Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, and Daniil Kvyat to hog the limelight.

Magnussen has been hailed as a future world champion by Ron Dennis this week, and it’s hardly surprising given his sterling drive to an eventual second. The 21-year-old Dane is the first driver since Jacques Villeneuve to finish second on debut, and the Canadian was in the dominant car of the season remember.

Russian rookie Kvyat appeared a strange signing to Toro Rosso straight from GP3 last year, but he impressed in a wet practice in Brazil, and then embellished his reputation further by finishing in the points on debut in Melbourne.

He became the youngest points scorer ever in Formula One. Guess who the previous record holder was? Sebastian Vettel. And he turned out alright didn’t he.

But Malaysia should be an even sterner test. As all the drivers have been pointing out, it is ridiculously hot and humid in Sepang, and their fitness levels will be tested to the limit over the weekend. How they cope should reveal a little more about their future prospects.

(P.S. I saw Daniil Kvyat playing tennis on Wednesday morning. It’s fair to say he’s no Marat Safin. Stick to the driving, Daniil.)

Williams showing their true pace

Williams were lauded for a remarkable turnaround in pre-season testing, and rightly so. They came to Melbourne with many touting them as Mercedes closest challengers. Sadly for the Grove-based outfit, it did not work out that way. Even though they left Melbourne will double the points they gained throughout 2013, they were not entirely satisfied.

A wet qualifying did not seem to suit the characteristics of their car, and after Felipe Massa’s race was ended at the first corner by Kamui Kobayashi, Valtteri Bottas carved his way through the field after losing masses of time with a puncture (of his own doing).

But, if all stays dry in Malaysia – and there’s no guarantee of thunderstorms staying away – we should start to see some more of Williams’ potential. Massa went as far as to say that he thinks on the basis of Melbourne Williams could have the second fastest car.

Bottas was my admittedly poor prediction for third on the grid in Australia. But a few quick laps in practice on Friday and it won’t take much for Williams to be touted as strong podium contenders.